Stroke survivor dances at daughter’s wedding

As far as Manuel Vera knew in February 2024, he was a healthy 67-year-old with just mild high blood pressure requiring a low dose of medication.

Then, on February 23, while at work as a client advocate at a bank in Tampa, Florida, Vera started feeling tired, weak and sick. He called his boss, said he needed to take a sick day, then drove home.

When he walked into his house, Vera caught a glimpse of himself in the dining room mirror and gasped: The left side of his face was drooping — a stroke symptom. He was showing one of the warning signs of stroke highlighted in the acronym F.A.S.T. for identifying a stroke and acting quickly: F for face drooping, A for arm weakness, S for speech difficulty and T for time to call 911.

A neighbor rushed him to a hospital emergency room, where the staff saw Vera’s drooping face and promptly got him a wheelchair.

“I think I’m having a stroke!” Vera told the two doctors waiting for him.

The doctors at HCA Florida Brandon Hospital examined Vera and ran tests, confirming the ischemic stroke diagnosis — about four and a half hours after the symptoms started.

Yet, they had difficulty pinpointing a cause. Vera’s cholesterol and blood sugar and heart all tested normal. But his blood pressure was high. He suspected his recent case of COVID-19 may have been a factor (a theory doctors cannot confirm), but the stroke still was a surprise and a mystery.

“It was out of the blue,” said Vera, now 68.

Doctors quickly administered a clot busting medication, then moved Vera from the ER to the intensive care unit. He underwent an evaluation for physical therapy, and Vera realized how much damage the stroke did and how his life would change in the aftermath. He had difficulty standing up, struggled with speech and had to learn to walk and get dressed again.

“I went to my room and basically cried because I realized how bad it was,” said Vera, who lives in Brandon, Florida. “I realized I had to start over and learn a lot of things over again. I couldn’t even tie my shoelaces and button my shirt.”

After five days in the hospital, Vera was moved to the inpatient rehab unit at the Brandon hospital and had daily occupational and physical therapy for two hours each. The first session of physical therapy included a delightful surprise: The therapist put a belt on Vera, turned on lively merengue music and held onto the belt while Vera danced.

His wife, Lissette, took a video of the moment, which had great sentimental value to her husband. Vera hoped to not just relearn to walk but do something seemingly impossible at the time: dance with his daughter, Nermalis, at her August wedding. He wanted to do both a traditional father-daughter slow dance and a merengue dance.

Following his life-saving stroke care and weeks of continued recovery in HCA Florida Brandon Hospital’s inpatient therapy rehabilitation center, Vera went home. Because of his dedication to continuing his tailored treatment plan with his physical therapists, Vera danced a beautiful, sentimental father-daughter dance and merengue at the wedding. His daughter told the audience about her father’s stroke, and she told him as they danced what a great father he is. Vera cried through the whole wedding.

Nine months after the stroke, Vera is not 100% recovered. Around the house, he can walk. But for longer distances, Vera needs to walk with a cane or he will start limping. He takes two medications for his hypertension and one for cholesterol. Vera is considered high risk for suffering another stroke, so he is vigilant about guarding his health.

In retrospect, Vera realizes he missed some signs earlier in the morning on the day he had the stroke. When he was walking out the door to go to work, he was slightly leaning to the left. While working on the computer, he was struggling with typing on his left side. Acting quickly is critical, he said.

“Of course, especially for the older group, we should be aware of what the stroke signs are because we should look out for them,” Vera said. “If you see something unusual, you should get it checked out. Better safe than sorry.”

For people who experience the traumatic event of a stroke, Vera offers this advice: “Don’t get discouraged. Be strong. If you want to cry, cry. Let it out … And no matter how hard it gets, don’t give up.”